Spencer Baird

N-E-G-U-S

Ipas, Procreate software [28 x 62 cm]

“This work, I completed over quarantine in which I was unable to access normal art supplies. Thus, I attempted to improve my skills on the digital software procreate. After some time working on my brush skills I started working on the pop-art inspired portrait. The portrait was initially created as a floating head of sorts, but the simplicity bothered me. So I simply copied the layer and created an eye catching background to add depth to the piece.”

Consequences from Evil

Canvas, acrylic, heavy body acrylic, spray paint, oil pastel [90 x 112 cm]

“This is an abstract multimedia piece I created with large inspiration from street artists like Jean Michael Basquiat. The idea for the piece came from a Donald Glover quote in which he states ‘I feel like I am letting everybody down.’ I think the overarching nature of this quote felt very applicable to my current state of mind. Thus I tried to incorporate symbols of chaos and struggle to help encapsulate themes of failure and anxiety. The abstract nature lends itself really well to storytelling like this as many icons can be interpreted in a variety of ways. ”

One lucky night.

Acrylic, spray paint on canvas [153 x 187 cm]

“This work took initial inspiration from Japanese street artist Masaki. He has the unique style of the ‘bleeding’ eyes created by dripping spray paint. This was a style I wanted to emulate in the recreation of a great photo of Kanye West. The spray paint creates wonderful texture and depth to the somewhat simple subject matter. The monotone color palette allows the color of the portraits to catch the viewer's eye. Overall this is one of my personal favorites and was very fun to make!”

Devin is in a new dress.

Sweatshirt, denim, corduroy, fabric swabs, Sashiko thread

“This work was spurred after doing research regarding the Japanese clothing style of BORO in which Japanese citizens would use patches and Sashiko-style stitching patterns to patch holes in their clothing. After learning the ins and outs of sewing stitches I used geometric organic shaped fabric swatches to add depth and artistry to the otherwise simple hoodie. The work looks to reveal how even simple garments as such can be seen as works of art and created with intention.”

Untitled Unmastered 01

Acrylic, heavy body medium, foam, circle blade [60 x 86 cm]

“My original intention with this work was to create an abstract contemporary piece that let the viewer interpret the fluidity of brush stroke in a multitude of ways. Inspired by the work of James Austin Murray, the piece makes advances on his style by the use of colors and developing a contrast between the saturated orange and green to entice the viewer. ”